{"id":4242,"date":"2017-11-05T08:46:35","date_gmt":"2017-11-05T12:46:35","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/?p=4242"},"modified":"2019-06-27T20:55:47","modified_gmt":"2019-06-28T00:55:47","slug":"low-relief-sculpture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/thevirtualinstructor.com\/blog\/low-relief-sculpture","title":{"rendered":"Low Relief Sculpture"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\nIn ages past, it was common for artists to both paint and sculpt. Da Vinci, Michelangelo, Degas, Matisse \u2013 all painters and<\/em> sculptors. These days, most artists seem to specialize. Why is that?<\/p>\n

It could be that artists are responding to market demands or it could be that sculpture is no longer taught with the same regularity and emphasis as in the past centuries. \u00a0Some art teachers simply avoid teaching sculpture. Sculptural processes can be expensive to teach and teachers must work within the budget allotted to them. Sculpting in metal, for example, requires welding equipment, plasma torches and sometimes a forge. Clay and wood sculpture have limiting factors as well.<\/p>\n

Another reason sculpture may take a “backseat” to two-dimensional art is space. Sculpting typically demands a larger work space and, once a piece is finished, many sculptures need a room or dedicated space for exhibition.<\/p>\n

Low relief sculpture is different. It doesn’t require a major investment and since most of these sculptures are quite small, they don’t require a lot of space to store or display. This makes low relief sculpture an excellent choice for introducing your students or yourself to sculptural processes.<\/p>\n

Below are the steps to a low-cost, space-saving sculpture project meant to introduce sculpting as a means of expression. Before jumping in, let\u2019s first define the three types of sculpture.<\/p>\n

Types of Sculpture<\/h2>\n

When most people think of sculpture they think of “sculpture in the round”. Sculpture in the round has a front and<\/em> a back. It is meant to be seen from all sides. <\/p>\n

In most cases, sculpture in the round is displayed on a pedestal or in an environment that encourages the viewer to view the sculpture from all sides. <\/p>\n

\"Sculpture(Above images are from the Creative Mixed Media<\/a> course.) <\/p>\n

Another form of sculpture is called relief sculpture. Relief sculpture is meant to be seen from only one side. There are two subcategories of relief sculpture \u2013 high relief and low relief, also called bas relief.<\/p>\n

High relief sculpture stands out from the flat surface, sometimes to a great degree. In contrast, low relief sculpture does not stand out as much and may feature parts that are indented into the flat surface. As you may imagine, the line between these two forms of relief sculpture can be very thin and determining whether a relief sculpture is high relief or low relief can be quite subjective.<\/p>\n

\"Sculpture<\/p>\n

Cardboard Low Relief Sculpture<\/h2>\n

This following step by step features a low relief sculpture that is inexpensive to make and doesn\u2019t require any more space to display than a drawing on paper.<\/p>\n

Materials<\/h2>\n

For this project, you will need:<\/p>\n